{"id":188396,"date":"2026-05-21T12:31:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/188396\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T12:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:31:22","slug":"bialacki-urges-sanctions-until-all-belarusian-political-prisoners-are-freed","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/188396\/","title":{"rendered":"Bialacki urges sanctions until all Belarusian political prisoners are freed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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May 21, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> On Solidarity Day, Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ale\u015b Bialacki urged the international community not to lift sanctions on Belarus until all political prisoners are freed and repression ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prominent human rights advocate and former political prisoner spoke at a forum in Vilnius on May 21, the third part of the Congress on Belarusian Political Prisoners. The first part was held in Pozna\u0144 on May 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it was not for sanctions, we would have remained in prison. We must clearly understand this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bialacki thanked the governments of Lithuania, Poland and other countries for hosting Belarusian political prisoners expelled by the authoritarian regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian dissidents mark May 21 as Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Rights defenders established the observance in memory of Belarusian dissident Vitold A\u0161urak, who died behind bars on May 21, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights defenders said A\u0161urak died after suffering a serious head injury in prison and being denied timely medical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their conclusion is based on 18 testimonies from former inmates who served sentences at the \u0160k\u0142o\u016d penal colony between December 2020 and June 2024. The government investigation into his death has stalled. Belarus has more than 800 documented political prisoners, but \u201cthe real number is higher because there are prisoners we are not aware of, there are families that are afraid to speak out, there are cases that don\u2019t make headlines,\u201d opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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